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AN ACCOUNT 



CELEBRATION 



FIRST SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 

OF THE INCORPORATION Ot* 

COLUMBIA COLLEGE, 

BY THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW- YORK ; 
WITH THE 

ORATION AND POEM 

DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION. 



" Aotiquam exquirite Matrem.'' 



NEW-YORK : 
G. & C. CARVILL & CO, 

1837. 






AN ACCOUNT, &:c. 



On the thirty-first of October, 1754, a royal charter 
passed the great seal of England for incorporating 
"King's College in the city of New- York;" from 
which period the existence of the present College is 
properly to be dated. But in the course of the revo- 
lutionary war, the institution was almost entirely bro- 
ken up, and it was several years subsequent to the 
peace before it was fully restored. 

In May, 1784, all the public seminaries of learning 
in the state were, by an act of the legislature, placed 
under the government of a corporate body, styled " the 
Regents of the University," who immediately pro- 
ceeded to regulate the affairs of this, the only College 
then existing in the state, the name of which was, by 
the same act, changed to " Columbia College." 

This arrangement, however, was mejely temporary, 
the College continuing under the immediate superin- 
tendence of the Regents no longer than until the thir- 
teenth of April, 1787, on which day the legislature 
passed an act, restoring and confirming the original 
charter, with such alterations as the change of govern- 



ment, and other intervening circumstances, had ren- 
dered necessary and proper. It was the fiftieth Anni- 
versary of this event that was celebrated on the thir- 
teenth of April, 1837, in pursuance of the proceedings 
and resolutions which follow, viz. : 

At a meeting of the students of Columbia College, 
held on Saturday, October 29th, 1836, in the chapel of 
that institution, to take into consideration the propriety 
of celebrating the semi-centennial Anniversary of Alma 
Mater, Jesse A. Spencer was elected President, John 
I. Tucker and Benjamin T. Kissam, Vice-Presidents, 
and Samuel Blatchford, Secretary. 

The object of the meeting being duly stated, it was 
moved that a committee of eight be appointed, (con- 
sisting of two from each class,) to draw up and bring 
before this meeting such resolutions, as may best ex- 
press its sentiments with regard to the proposed mea- 
sure. 
Whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed : 

Senior Class. 

Nathaniel W. Chittenden, 
Henry P. Fessenden. 

Junior Class. 
Mancer M. Backus, 
George T. Strong. 

The committee, having retired, returned, and offered 
the following preamble and resolutions, which were 
unanimously adopted. 

Whe?-eas, on the thirteenth day of April next, fifty 
years will have elapsed since the state of New- York 
conferred on this College the title and privileges of a 
free and literary institution — privileges which can only 
be enjoyed under a liberal and enlightened govern- 



Sop7io7?iore Class. 
G. Anthon, 
W. Green. 

Freshman Class. 

L. Hoyt, 

W. Romaine. 



ment, and which can be merited only so long as the 
recipient of them continues to repay with commensu- 
rate benefits : 

Whereas, during that short period, this institution 
has included among her foster-children those, whose 
intellectual attainments, sustained by a high moral tone 
of character, have been made the ardent promoters of 
the public weal and of national respect: 

And ivhe?-eas, the measure is due to the talents, the 
efficiency, and the reputation of the Trustees and 
Faculty of this College, as well as to our own feelings of 
veneration and attachment to Ahna Mater : 

Resolved, That in a semi-centennial Anniversary of 
Columbia College we see a measure due alike to the 
sacred cause of literature and of freedom; since 
she has ever been among the foremost in developing 
the intellect of our country — fostering its early days, 
and strengthening its maturer years ; thus intimately 
blending her own history with the progress of the libe- 
ral principles and sound knowledge of the land. 

Resolved, That we deem this celebration due to the 
high character of this institution itself, which has num- 
bered among its sons a Hamilton, a Jay, and a Clinton — 
men the most conspicuous for moral and intellectual 
elevation ; that we perceive in the contemplated mea- 
sure one that will tend directly to make our Alma 
Mater more widely known, and establish more fixedly 
her claims to the profound respect and veneration of 
all ; that will give increased action, if possible, to her 
every movement, cause her to be fully and rightly ap- 
preciated, and finally place her more firmly- upon that 
lofty station, to which her long standing, and the wis- 
dom, talents, and learning of her President and Profes- 
sors so eminently entitle her. 



Resolved, That we consider the proposed Anniver- 
sary as an event having peculiar reference to the nu- 
merous and distinguished body of Alwnni of this Col- 
lege ; in that it will draw them together from afar and 
near, and awaken in their bosoms all the better feel- 
ings of our nature ; and that, closely united by the 
electric chain of a common love, they will surround 
their venerable Alma Mate?', and do her such honour as 
the highest merit can deserve, or the warmest feelings 
of gratitude prompt. 

Resolved, therefore, and in conclusion, That we will, 
by and with the approval and co-operation of the Fa- 
culty, hold, on the thirteenth day of April, in the year 
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty- 
seven, the first semi-centennial Anniversary of Colum- 
bia College. 

It was then moved that a standing committee of 
twelve be appointed, consisting of three from each 
iclass ; upon which committee shall devolve the general 
management of the necessary steps in the proposed 
celebration, and who shall be instructed by the present 
meeting to convene an assembly of all the students at 
such time or times as the progress of affairs may re- 
quire, and then and there to make such a report of pro- 
ceedings as the circumstances of the case shall dictate. 

The following gentlemen were accordingly appoint- 
ed: 



Senior Class. 

Nathaniel W. Chittenden, 
J. Mc Mullen, Jr., 
H. P. Fessenden. 



Junior Class. 

Mancer M. Backus, 
George T. Strong, 
E. Anthony. 



Sophomore Class. 

W. Green, 
J. R. Brown, 
P. K. Paulding. 



Freshman Class. 

L. Hoyt, 

O. Hoffman, Jr., 

J. W. Depeyster. 



The meeting then adjourned. 

Jesse A. Spencer, President. 

John L Tucker, } ^T^ n • ? . 
Tj ' T* ir / Vice-rresiaents. 

riENJ N. 1 . KiSSAM, 5 

Samuel Blatchford, Secretary. 



New- York, November 4:th, 1836. 
To THE Faculty of Columbia College: — 

Gentlemen, — Enclosed is a copy of the resolutions 
unanimously adopted by the students belonging to this 
institution, at a full meeting, held on Saturday, October 
29th, 1836, to take into consideration the propriety of 
celebrating the semi-centennial Anniversary of Alma 
Mater. 

These resolutions are herewith respectfully sub- 
mitted for your approval ; and, that due speed may be 
had, it is earnestly solicited that your decision be made 
known at as early a day as possible. 

N. W. Chittenden, 
Chairman of the Standing Committee. 



Col Coll., November 5th, 1836. 
Sir, 

Your communication, as chairman of the standing 
committee, appointed at a general meeting of the 



students of this College, held to take into consider-' 
ation the propriety of holding a semi-centennial Anni- 
versary of the College, has, in compliance with your 
request, been laid before the Faculty, together with the 
resolutions which it enclosed. 

It gives me great pleasure to inform you, that those 
resolutions have met the entire approbation of the Fa- 
culty, and that I am authorized to assure you of their 
prompt and cheerful co-operation in carrying them 
into effect. Permit me, also, to add my personal assu- 
rance of the satisfaction it wdll afford me to assist you,, 
from time to time, with my advice, upon such points as 
you may require it. 

I remain, 
Your obedient serv^t., 

W. A. DUER, 

Pres't. Col Coll. 
Mr. N. W. Chittenden, Chairman, &;c. 



At a stated meeting of the Board of Columbia CollegCj, 
held on the 5th day of November, 1836, Present — the 
President ; Professors McVickar, Anthon, Renwick, and 
Anderson. A communication was received from a com- 
mittee appointed by a meeting of the students, held, by 
permission of the President, in the chapel, on Saturday 
last, enclosing certain resolutions relating to the cele- 
bration of the semi-centennial Anniversary of the in- 
corporation of the College, and submitted to the board 
for their approbation — whereupon, 

Resolved, That the board approve of the object of 



said resolutions, and will co-operate, as requested, in 
carrying tliem into effect. 

Extract from the minutes. 

Robert G. Vermilye, A. M., 

Secretary to the Board. 



New- York, November 11th, 1836. 

To THE Executive Committee of the Society of 
Alumni of Colusibia College : 

Gentlemen, — Herewith are respectfully submitted 
for your consideration, the proceedings of the Students 
of Columbia College, on the proposed measure of hold- 
ing a semi-centennial A nniversary of Alma Mater. 
N, W. Chittenden, 
Chair7?ian of the Standing Committee. 



November 23^?, 1836. 
My Dear Sir, 

As secretary of the committee appointed by the 
Alumni for the purpose of celebrating the first semi- 
centennial Anniversary of Alma Mater, I enclose to 
you a copy of the proceedings of the executive com- 
mittee of the Alumni Association, and also a copy of 
the minutes of a meeting of the Alumni, held, with re- 
ference to this design, on November 26th. 

Accept my assurance that the Alumni are disposed 
to do every thing in their power to accomplish the de- 
2 



10 

sign, in a manner as creditable to themselves and to 
you, as it will be to the College. 

I have the honour of being, 
Yours, truly, 

G. W. HiLLYER, 

Secretary of Committee of Alumni. 
Nath. W. Chittenden, Esq. 



At a meeting of the standing committee of the Alum- 
ni, on November 23d, 1836, the proceedings of the 
Students and Faculty of the College, relative to a 
semi-centennial Celebration, were read, and it was 
thereupon 

Resolved, That a meeting of the Alumni be called 
for Saturday, November 25th, at 1^ P. M., in the Pre- 
sident's room, to take this subject into consideration. 

(Signed,) T. R. Green, Secretary. 



Extract from the minutes of the Special Meeting, so called. 

On motion, it was 

Resolved, That we heartily approve of the design of 
celebrating the semi-centenniary of Columbia College. 

Resolved, That a committee of 29 be appointed to 
confer with the students on the proposed celebration, 
with full power to co-operate with them in carrying 
the same into effect. 



11 



Resolved, That the following gentlemen constitute 
such committee : 



Gen. E. W. Laight, 
Egbert Benson, 
Dr. James R. Manly, 
James J. Watson, 
Dr. John W. Francis, 
Rev, Mr. Forbes, 
Samuel Guilford, 
Hamilton Morton, 
Peter J. Townsend, 
William Walton, 
Robert J. Dillon, 
Samuel Ward, Jr., 
Edward Slosson, 
William Heard, 

Giles M. 



Hon. G. C. Verplanck, 
Prof James Renwick, 
Sylvanus Miller, 
Timothy R. Green, 
Dr. Samuel W. Moore, 
William Inglis, 
Matthew C. Patterson, 
Hamilton Fish, 
Rev. Isaac Ferris, 
Beverly Robinson, Jr., 
Henry J. Ruggles, 
Henry Nicoll, 
William J. Johnson, 
Isaac C. Delaplaine, 
Hillyer. 



And, finally. 

Resolved, That Mr. G. M. Hillyer be secretary of 
the said committee, and call a meeting of the same on 
Wednesday, November 30th, 1836. 



(Signed,) 



T. R. Green, Secretary. 



At a meeting of the committee, held in accordance 
with the last resolution, a sub-committee of nine was 
appointed, with full power to carry the design, thus 
approved by the Alumni, into effect. 



12 

The following gentlemen were, on motion, appointed 
such committee : 

Hon. G. C. Verplanck, Timothy R. Green, 

Chairman. Henry Nicoll, 

Rev. Mr. Forbes, Robert J. Dillon, 

Dr. James R. Manly, Edward Slosson, . 

James J. Watson, Giles M. Hillyer. 

Giles M. Hillyer, Secretary. 



New- York, Decernher bth, 1836. 

To THE Board of Trustees of Columbia College : 

Gentlemen, — It is proposed to celebrate the semi- 
centennial Anniversary of Alma Mater. Certain steps 
have been taken in regard to the contemplated mea- 
sure. All these are herewith most respectfully sub- 
mitted for your sanction and furtherance. 

N. W. Chittenden, 
Chairman of the Standing Comrnittee, 
on the part of the Students of Col. Coll. 



At a stated meeting of the Trustees of Columbia 
College, on Monday, the 5th of December, 1836 — 

A communication was received from a committee of 
the students, in relation to celebrating a semi-centen- 
nial Anniversary of the College. Whereupon, 

Resolved, That this board do highly approve of the 
said object, and that a committee be appointed, on the 
part of this board, to carry it into effect. 

Resolved, That Mr. Jay, (the chairman,) President 



13 

Duer, Mr. Hoflfman, the Rev. Dr. Knox, and Mr. King, 
be the said committee. 

Extract from the minutes. 

Clement C. Moore, Clerk. 
December Qth, 1836. 



At a joint meeting of the committees appointed by 
the Trustees, Alumni, and Students, in relation to the 
first semi-centennial Anniversary of Columbia College, 
held in the President's room, on Saturday, January 
14th, 1837, Peter A. Jay, LL. D., was called to the 
chair, and Giles M. Hillyer, A. B., appointed Secretary. 
On motion of G. C. Verplanck, LL. D., it was 

Resolved, unanimously, That the first semi-centen- 
nial Anniversary of our Alma Mater be celebrated by 
an Oration and a Poem, or Odes appropriate to the 
occasion, the Orator and Poets to be selected from the 
number of her Alumni ; that the College building be 
illuminated in the evening, and that the hall, library, 
and chapel, be fitted up, and thrown open for the re- 
ception of the Trustees, the Faculty, the Alumni, the 
Students, and their respective families, with such others 
,as may be invited by the President, including stran- 
gers of distinction, the literati, members of learned 
associations, &c. 

Resolved, That a committee of arrangements be ap- 
pointed, consisting of President Duer and Mr. Charles 
King, on the part of the Trustees ; Messrs. Gulian C. 
Verplanck, James J. Watson, and Giles M. Hillyer, 
on the part of the Alumni, and Messrs. Nathaniel W. 
Chittenden and M. M. Backus, on the part of the Stu- 



14 

dents, with full power to carry the above objects into 
effect, and to invite the attendance of two or more of 
the clerical Alumni to assist in the religious ceremo- 
nies of the day. 

Peter A. Jay, Chairman. 
G. M. HiLLYER, Secretary. 



At a meeting of the Committee appointed to make 
arrangements for the celebration of the first semi- 
centennial Anniversary of Columbia College, held on 
the 18th of January, 1837 — President Duer in the 
chair — 

Resolved, That the Reverend Manton Eastburn, D. D., 
be requested to deliver the Oration on the ensuing 
Anniversary. 

Resolved, That William Betts, A. M., be requested 
to compose and recite a Poem on the same occasion. 

Resolved, That Professor Anthon be requested to fur- 
nish a Greek Ode, William C. Russel, A. M., a Latin 
Ode, and William Duer, A. B., an English Ode, in cele- 
bration of the day. 

Resolved, That the Right Rev. Bishop Onderdonk, 
of Pennsylvania, the Right Rev. Bishop Kemper, the 
Rev. PhiHp Milledoler, D. D., and the Rev. PhiHp F. 
Mayer, D. D., be requested to participate in the reli- 
gious solemnities of the day. 

W. A. Duer, Chairman. 

G. M. Hill YE R, Secretary. 

Mem. Answers were subsequently received to the 
applications severally made to the right reverend 
gentlemen above named, expressing their approbation 



15 

of the proposed celebration, and regretting that their 
episcopal duties would prevent their presence and co- 
operation on the occasion. 



In accordance with these arrangements, a proces- 
sion was formed on the College Green, at 10 o'clock, 
A. M., on the 13th of April, consisting, besides the Trus- 
tees, Faculty, Almmii, and Students of the College, of 
the public bodies and functionaries residing in the city ; 
the Regents of the University of the state ; represent- 
atives of the city in congress, and in the state legisla- 
ture ; executive and judicial officers of the state and 
of the United States ; foreign ministers, consuls, and 
other strangers of distinction ; the reverend the 
clergy ; members of the various literary societies and 
scientific institutions ; presidents and professors of 
other colleges and seminaries ; principals of academies 
and classical schools, and teachers of the grammar 
school of Columbia College, &c. &c., which pro- 
ceeded to St. John's Chapel, in Hudson Square. 

The solemnities of the day were there commenced 
with an Introductory Prayer by the Reverend Philip 
F. Mayer, D. D., Pastor of the German Lutheran 
Church in Philadelphia, and a graduate of the College 
of the year 1799. The Anthem of " Non nobis Domine" 
was then performed by a select choir, under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Robert G. Page, director of the choir in 
the Church of the Ascension, in the city of New- York ; 
after which the Oration, which follows this narrative, 
was delivered by the Reverend Manton Eastburn, 
D. D., Rector of the Church of the Ascension, and a 
graduate of the College of the year 1817. 



16 

Tlie Oration was succeeded by Mozart's requiem of 
*' Rex tremendce, majestatis et henedictus^ by the choir. 
The subjoined Poem, written for the occasion, was 
then recited by its author, WiUiam Betts, A. M., coun- 
sellor at law, and a graduate of the College of the year 
1820, which was followed by the anthem of " Te Deum 
Laudamus!' 

In pursuance of a resolution of the Board of Trus- 
tees, the honorary degree of Master of Arts was then 
conferred by the President of the College, upon Fitz 
Green Halleck, William CuUen Bryant, and Charles 
Fenno Hoffman, all of the city of New- York ; the ho- 
norary degree of Doctor in Divinity, upon the Right 
Reverend Samuel A. McCoskrey, Bishop of the Pro- 
testant Episcopal Church in the diocese of Michigan ; 
the Reverend Samuel A. Van Vranken, Pastor of the 
Reformed Dutch Church in Poughkeepsie ; the Reve- 
rend Philip F. Mayer, A. M. ; the Reverend Wil- 
liam R. Whittingham, A. M., St. Marks, Professor in 
the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in the United States ; the Reverend 
Thomas H. Taylor, Rector of Grace Church in the 
city of New- York ; the Reverend Samuel Seabury, 
A. M., of New- York, and the Reverend John Bethune, 
Rector of Christ Church, Montreal, Lower Canada ; 
and the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, upon 
David B. Ogden, John Duer, and George Griffin, of the 
city of New- York, and upon his Excellency Peter D. 
Vroom, Governor of the State of New-Jersey, and 
a graduate of the College of the year 1808. 

The ceremonies of the morning were concluded 
by a Valedictory Prayer and Benediction from the 
Reverend Phihp Milledoler, D. D., President of Rut- 



17 

gers College, New- Jersey, and a graduate of Columbia 
College of the year 1793. 

In the evening the College hall and library, having 
been illuminated and appropriately decorated, were 
thrown open for the reception, by the President, of the 
Trustees, Faculty, Alumni and Students, with other 
friends to the institution, who assembled in great num- 
bers in honour of the occasion. 



At a meeting of the joint committees of the Trus- 
tees, Alumni^ and Students of Columbia College, ap- 
pointed for the purpose of making all necessary and 
proper arrangements for celebrating the first semi- 
centennial Anniversary of the incorporation of the 
said College by the state of New- York, held on the 
20th day of April, A. D. 1837 — Peter A. Jay, Esquire, 
in the chair — 

On motion. 

Resolved, unanimoushj, That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to the Rev. MantonEastburn, D. D., 
for the Oration delivered by him at their request, 
at the late celebration of the semi-centennial Anniver- 
sary of the restoration of his Alma Mater ; and that he 
be requested to furnish a copy thereof for publication. 

On motion. 

Resolved, unanimously, That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to William Betts, A. M., for 
the Poem delivered by him at their request, at the late 
celebration of the semi-centennial Anniversary of the 
restoration of his Alma Mater', and that he be re- 
quested to furnish a copy thereof for publication. 

On motion. 

Resolved, unaniniously , That the thanks of this com- 
3 



18 

mittee be presented to the Rev. Philip F. Mayer, D. D., 

for the service rendered his Alma Mater, in offer- 
ing up the Introductory Prayer at the late semi-cen- 
tennial Anniversary of her restoration. 

On motion, 

Resolved, unanhnously, That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to the Rev. Philip Milledoler, D. D., 
for the service rendered his Alma Mater, in offering 
up the Valedictory Prayer, and pronouncing the Bene- 
diction, at the late semi-centennial Anniversary of her 
restoration. 

On motion, 

Resolved, unanimously. That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to Charles Anthon, LL. D., Jay 
Professor of the Latin and Greek languages in Colum- 
bia College, for the Greek Ode written by him in 
celebration of the first semi-centennial Anniversary of 
his Alma Mater; and that he be requested to furnish 
a copy thereof for publication. 

On motion. 

Resolved, unanimously, That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to William C. Russell, A. M., for 
the Latin Ode written by him in celebration of the 
first semi-centennial Anniversary of his Alma Mater ; 
and that he be requested to furnish a copy thereof for 
publication. 

On motion, 

Resolved, unanimously, That the thanks of this com- 
mittee be presented to William Duer, A. B., for the 
English Ode written by him in celebration of the first 
semi-centennial Anniversary of his Alma Mater ; and 
that he be requested to furnish a copy thereof for pub- 
lication. A true copy. 

Attest. G. M. Hilly ER, Secretary. 



ORATION. 



/ 

BY MAN TON EAST BURN, D. D, 

RECTOR OF THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION, NBW-VOUK, 



ORATION. 



In stepping aside, on the present animating occasion^ 
from a path of arduous professional duty, for the pur- 
pose of executing the part which has been assigned 
me, it is not without the unfeigned conviction, that this 
noble theme would have found, in many others of my 
fellow-graduates, advocates more competent to do it 
justice. In one qualification for the task, however, let 
me be permitted to say that I will yield to none ; and 
that is, a heart glowing with filial affection for our an- 
cient and common mother. Among those visions of 
the past, which float before me amidst the present 
realities of life, the most "benignly pensive" is the re- 
membrance of days, when, beneath the spreading syca- 
mores that overshadow that venerated pile, I used to 
stand in a circle of youthful associates, knit together 
wath the bands of sincere and sacred friendship. I 
never pass by the scene of these early joys, that they 
do not recur to me with all the warmth and freshness 
of their living beauty. I still love to look at those 
trees ; and rejoice to behold in them the magnificent 



22 

and speaking emblems of the durability of her, to 
whom we are this day assembled to pay the debt of 
gratitude and love. Do we not now feel, that, like 
them, she shall long stand ;— surviving the blasts of pre- 
judice ; inviting beneath her ample shade the youth of 
this great metropolis ; and majestically presiding over 
the early studies of those, who, in after days, are to 
exemplify in the senate, at the bar, in the pulpit, and 
in the several walks of professional, literary, scientific, 
and commercial pursuit , the incalculable blessings of 
a sound and polished education ? 

The day that has now dawned upon us completes 
the period of half a century, since our beloved Col- 
lege, lying in the desertion and ruin consequent upon 
the revolutionary struggle, was placed by the govern- 
ment of our State upon a permanent basis of strength- 
Amidst the joy of our present anniversary, it is impos- 
sible not to turn, with feelings of singular interest, to 
that contrasted condition in which the legislative rulers 
found our Alma Mater, when they first extended 
towards her the hand of friendship. When the tocsin 
of war sounded, the youth who were gathered within 
this peaceful sanctuary of letters were scattered in 
various directions ; and the very building under whose 
roof they received instruction, was converted into a 
receptacle for the wounded soldiery. Who that left 
her halls, at that hour of darkness and peril, could 
venture so much as to conjecture, what were to be 
her fortunes in future days ? To us, however, be- 
longs the privilege of looking back, and reading 
the history of her triumphs. Soon after the peace, 
our College attracted, in common with other semi- 
naries of learning in the State, the attention of the 



23 

Legislature ; and was placed under the superintend- 
ence of a board, entitled the llegents of the l^ni- 
versity. Under this government she continued, until 
that memorable day of which the present is our semi- 
centennial jubilee. On the 13th day of April, 1787, 
an act was passed, confirming, with the requisite alte- 
rations, the original charter of 1754, granted in the 
reign of George the Secondj appointing a board of 
Trustees, who were, from that time, themselves to fill 
the vacancies occasioned by death, or otherwise, in 
their own body ; and leaving her free to pursue her 
onward course of usefulness and honour. On that day, 
our Institution may properly be said to have first ari- 
sen, and "shaken herself from the dust," and stood upon 
her feet. From that time she began her independ- 
ent way : advancing steadily forward, under the new 
name of Columbia College, to that elevated position 
which she now occupies, as the accomplished, faithful, 
and impartial dispenser of learning and truth. 

Among the changes that have marked the progress 
of these fifty years, many whom I now address will 
not fail to be reminded of those transformations which 
have taken place, in the exterior appearance of our 
ancient College structure. The present speaker was 
one of that graduating class of 1817, who were the 
last to see yet untouched, on leaving the scenes of 
their collegiate life, the old edifice erected in provin- 
cial times. Let us imagine, for a moment, one of this, 
or of some preceding class, travellins^ away, at that 
period, to a distant quarter of the globe ; and, after an 
absence of a few years, returning to the scenes of his 
youth. The first spot to which he bends his steps, is 
the well-remembered College Green. He approaches 



24 

it : and what does he see ? The whole enclosure, 
with every thing that it contains, excepting the umbra- 
geous trees, seems to him as if it had passed under the 
influence of some enchanter's wand. He first looks 
for the old janitor's lodge, that flanked the wooden 
gate leading from the common, every-day world, into 
the classic sanctum of the student. But it has gone. 
He next turns his eyes to the College pile : but what 
is here ? The dark gray front, with its dingy doors, 
he can find no longer. It has put on the brightness 
of second youth ; while, on either end, a stately wing 
rises in fair proportions, casting the central edifice into 
quiet distance. He then looks upward, to see if he 
can descry at least one lingering remnant of other 
days upon the roof But there, too, all is changed. 
The ancient cupola, surmounted by the crown of roy- 
alty, has vanished ; and, in its place, a majestic dome 
presides over the scene. He passes onward, to seek 
for the old Hall at the west end ; into the three reci- 
tation-rooms of whose lower floor he had so frequently 
been received with the companions of his sports and 
studies, — and in whose upper room he had so often as- 
cended the rostrum, and made his first experiments in 
the science of elocution. But, to his astonishment, this 
too is no more. All has been changed. — His first feeling, 
on the sight of this substitution of new objects for old 
ones, is that of painful disappointment. He cannot recon- 
cile himself to such an obliteration of the ancient land- 
marks, that connected the present with the past. But, 
in another moment, he recovers himself He reflects, 
that even the remains of antiquity are unjustifiably 
spared, when to save them interferes with the ura^ent 
wants of the present hour. He is content : and cheer- 



25 

fully sacrifices poetical association upon the altar ot" 
utility. 

On tliis festival of the renewal, half a century ago, 
of our chartered rights, we are naturally reminded of 
the many who, from that day to the present, have is- 
sued forth, at successive j^eriods, from the walls of our 
College, and been subsequently removed from the 
stage of life. To sketch the character, and thus pay 
a brief tribute to the memory, of some of these, will, 
I trust, be deemed not inappropriate to the objects 
of our present celebration. Assembled to testify our 
generous attachment to the Institution, by whose fos- 
tering hands we were nurtured, in what way can we 
more successfully strengthen our gratitude for the bless- 
ings she has conferred, than by surveying the line of 
her illustrious children 1 To notice all those distin- 
guished persons, whom, from the date of the confirma- 
tion of the royal charter, she has sent forth to adorn 
their country, until they were taken from the earth, 
would be incompatible with the time to which I feel 
myself restricted. I purpose to present before you 
only a few ; — beginning with some of the earlier, and 
ending with some of the later, deceased graduates of 
the last fifty years. 

At the head of this list of honored names, stands 
that of De Witt Clinton. 

In introducing this distinguished son of Columbia 
College, among the graduates of our Alma Mater after 
her final re-establishment by the Legislature, it is due 
to historical truth to say, that the time when he left 
these academic shades preceded, by a few months, that 
act of the State government, by which she received 
the confirmation of her ancient privileges. Strictly 
4 



26 

speaking, therefore, he does not come within the num- 
ber of those, who belong to the period of the last fifty 
years ; but is one of a small and elder band of eight 
persons, who were graduated under the provisional 
superintendence of the Regents of the University. 
Inasmuch, however, as the existence of our Institution 
as Columbia College began immediately after the 
close of the revolutionary conflict, and this illustrious 
man was the first student examined for entrance sub- 
sequently to the independence of this country, — I shall 
make no apology for thus giving him a place among 
those, whose remembrance, on this festal day, we de- 
light to honour. 

The impression still remains upon my mind, in all 
its vividness, which I received, when yet a. boy, from 
the first sight of this remarkable man. The fire of 
his speaking eye, the whole expression of his grand 
countenance, and the dignity of his movements, com- 
pelled me to feel that I was in the presence of a supe- 
rior being ; a being formed to conceive great designs, 
and to pursue them with energy and decision. It was, 
perhaps, not less from these dutward lineaments, than 
from the indications which his early genius gave of his 
future greatness, that his preceptor in this College, 
Dr. Cochran, was led to regard him, during the days 
of his academic life, as one destined "to counsel and 
direct his fellow-citizens to honour and happiness." 

To enter into any laboured eulogy of the talents 
and public services of Clinton, even were such an at- 
tempt consistent with the scope of the present address, 
were altogether superfluous. His- character and la- 
bours have been impressively commemorated by seve- 
ral alumni of this institution : and most completely has 
this work been performed by a distinguished member 



27 

of the medical profession, himself now numbered with 
the dead, — who, with the pious hand of friendship, and 
with such materials before him as long intimacy had 
enabled him to possess, has drawn a succinct and glow- 
ing outline of the career of this great statesman from 
the cradle to the grave.* But it is not by the records 
of biography that his name will be perpetuated through 
coming generations. If it was with Clinton an object 
of desire, — a question which we are not called upon to 
agitate, — after he should have been consigned to the 
tomb, to survive death in the second life of a posthu- 
mous renown, we must admire the sagacity that led 
him to give such a direction to his ambition, as to ensure, 
to the fullest extent, this anticipation of his heart. For 
we may boldly challenge all men to say, now that the 
bitterness of party prejudice and violence has been buri- 
ed in his grave, whether, if he did seek to enthrone him- 
self in the future veneration of his native State, he did not 
aim to found his claims upon the fact, that he was con- 
stantly devising plans of the most enlarged character 
for that State's glory and good ? In thus continually 
identifying his own fame with the advancement of this 
commonwealth, he has saved us the necessity of in- 
scribing his panegyric upon marble. We need not 
give his name " in charge to the sweet lyre." We need 
not ask Sculpture to 

" Give bond in stone, and ever-during brass, 
To guard it, and t' immortalize her trust." 

If the children of our Alma Mater shall ask for 
Clinton's monument, we may point them to one of 



* " Memoir of De Witt Clinton. Ry David Hosack, M. D., F. R. S." 



which this College needs not to be ashamed, and than 
which our distinguished elder brother can have none 
prouder and better — our common Schools. 

Another among the mighty dead, who deserves a 
place in the recollections of every member of this 
College, is the Rev. Dr. John M. Mason. This dis- 
tinguished divine was graduated in the year 1789; 
and in 1811, by a new arrangement in the government 
of our Institution, was elected Provost. This situation 
he continued to fill, until disease, and a meditated 
voyage to Europe for the restoration of health, led to 
his resignation of the office. It was not my own fa- 
voured lot, as it was that of some who are now before 
me, to pass through the senior year of the academic 
course under his immediate instruction. Am I not 
correct in saying, that those who did enjoy this privi- 
lege can never cease to remember the taste, the criti- 
cal acumen, the amazing vigor and originality of mind, 
with which he illustrated, on alternate days, the pages 
of Horace and Longinus 1 

A tribute, just as it is eloquent, has been paid to the 
memory of this great man, by one of our own gradu- 
ates, who is distinguished far and wide in the world of 
letters.* I cannot refrain, however, from giving utter- 
ance, on this occasion, to my own fervent recollections 
of one whom I well knew, and of whose surpassing 
powers in the pulpit an indelible impression has been 
stamped upon my memory. He was one whom the 
Creator had endowed with natural gifts, that com- 



* See " An Address delivered before the Philolexian and Peithologian Societies, 
August 2d, 1830 ; on the evening preceding the annual Commencement of 
Columbia College. By Gulian C, Verplanck." 



29 

pelled attention. That intellectual forehead, that 
eagle's eye, and the varying intonations of that voice, 
who can ever forget ? Sustained by these great per- 
sonal advantages, he carried every thing before him, 
when standing as the messenger of God in his earthly 
temple. 

It can hardly be doubted, that, as an expositor of 
the inspired volume. Mason's powers were unique. 
He was not the wearisome pedant, making a pompous 
and unnecessary parade of learning ; and encumber- 
ing the sacred page with imagined difficulties, only 
that he miojht exhibit the adroitness with which he 
could clear them away. It was his object to make 
Scripture speak for itself; and all the treasures of his 
knowledge, and the full force of his intellect, were em- 
ployed in developing the whole meaning conveyed in 
the language, which was, at the time, passing under 
his review. It was the eifect of his public ministra- 
tions, therefore, to pour a flood of light upon the sub- 
ject which he handled. I shall not venture to assert, 
that these efforts were not occasionally marked with 
those eccentricities and incongruities, so frequently 
found to be the accompanying " infirmity of noble 
minds." But who, that have ever heard him, do not 
still see him before their eyes, standing forth confest, 
in the majesty of his person, in the power and clearness 
of his reasoning, in the alternate grandeur and tender- 
ness of his appeals to the conscience and the heart, 
the prince of pulpit orators ? 

Among those charms of manner, which gave such 
irresistible effect to the public efforts of Mason, may 
be mentioned the inimitable beauty of his reading. 
Nothing could be more finished, and yet, at the same 



30 

time, nothing could be more natural. The auditors 
were never reminded, while this great speaker was re- 
citing a chapter of inspiration, of the man who was 
before them ; but were lost in contemplation of the 
character whom he was personating, or the scenes 
which his lips were presenting to view. There was 
nothing, therefore, in his mode of performing this part 
of his duty, inconsistent with the humility and single- 
ness of mind, which befit the services of a human being 
in the sanctuary of the Eternal. I believe it will be 
admitted, by all who have enjoyed the opportunity of 
judging, that to hear Dr. Mason read a portion from 
the prophetical writings, or one of the speeches of St. 
Paul, had all the effect of the most perfect commen- 
tary. One instance of this kind now occurs to me, in 
the striking alternation of power, pathos, and gladness, 
with which he was wont to deliver the opening verses 
of that sublime Chapter, the fortieth of Isaiah. The 
impression it produced upon the feelings was of a kin- 
dred character with that which we experience, when 
listening to the glorious music, with which Handel has 
illustrated this same passage of the prophet of Judah. 
While he read, the soul was by turns soothed into 
peace — awed into wonder — and lifted up with the al- 
most uncontrollable emotions of gratitude and joy. 

The reason already assigned, — the want of time, — 
must be my apology for not dwelling, as their names 
deserve, upon the character of some of those distin- 
guished and departed graduates, who left this College 
between the earlier and the latter days of the last half 
century. Did my limits permit, I could wish to speak 
more than a few words of Joseph Nelson : who, 
amidst the calamity of blindness, made himself master 



31 

of the rich productions of Grecian and Roman anti- 
quity ; and who spent his days in imparting his own 
enthusiastic love for their beauties, to the minds of our 
native youth. Were I allowed, personal respect and 
friendship, not less than his own exalted character, 
would lead me to expatiate upon the talents and the 
virtues of Dr. John Watts, the late President of our 
College of Physicians and Surgeons ; — a man, in whom 
skill in the illustrious profession of the healing art 
shone with the added lustre of Christian piety; and 
who set the example of turning to advantage the abun- 
dant opportunities which that calling presents, for 
mingling, with its beneficent labours for the body, the 
nutriment of instruction, and the cordial of celestial 
consolation, for the immortal spirit. I would fain, also^ 
were space granted me, pay more than a passing tri- 
bute to the memory of Bedell ; whose chaste and 
effective pulpit oratory, while it adorned, for many 
years, our sister city of Philadelphia, was occasionally 
heard in this metropolis, and was known, equally with 
his great usefulness, throughout the length and breadth 
of our land. But I must hasten to a brief notice of two 
or three of those, who issued, at a somewhat later day, 
from these academic halls. 

Among the graduates of 1815, was Robert Charles 
Sands. At the early age of thirty-three, this accom- 
plished poet and scholar was summoned from the 
world. His life and character have been delineated 
in an exquisite biographical sketch, from the pen of 
Gulian C. Verplanck ; preceding a selection from his 
works, compiled by the united labor of this gentle- 
man, and our distinguished poet Bryant. From these 
volumes may be gained ample evidence of the extraor- 



32 

dinary and versatile powers of Sands ; though I must 
ask permission here to express my regret, at the omis- 
sion to insert, in this pubUcation, such a proportion of 
his numerous productions on classical subjects, as 
would have more fully shown him to this country, and 
to the sons of our Alma Mater, to be that which he 
truly was, — an extensively read scholar. It seems but 
as yesterday, when, on first leaving this Institution, I 
used to spend a few hours of every day in his com- 
pany ; pursuing together with him the study of those 
immortal remains, which have come down to us from the 
ancient masters. He had, even at that early period of his 
life, a keen relish for these studies ; and I can yet remem- 
ber the susceptibility, with which, in turn, he sympa- 
thized with the wild and lawless sublimity of Aeschy- 
lus — and rejoiced in the humor of Aristophanes — and 
lingered with delight upon the tenderness and simpli- 
city of the honied Euripides.* 

One of his most favorite Latin authors was Horace; 
the lively portraits which that writer has given of hu- 
man life and character, taking a strong hold of his own 
quick and observant mind. Among the most finished 
and powerful of his poetical productions, are some 
imitations and translations of the writings of that bard ; 
and, of these, an unpublished imitation of the cele- 
brated Epistle to Maecenas appears to me worthy of a 
place, among the finest specimens in that class to be 
found in our language. I would gladly detach a por- 



* To the last-named writer I recollect that he gave the decided preference over 
Sophocles : sustained in this judgment, — whether himself aware of the circum- 
stance or not, I pretend not to say,— ^by the illustrious Porson ; who, in his inaugu- 
ral dissertation on Euripides, has thus struck the balance, in his own beautiful 
Latinity, between him and his great rival. ". Hunc magis probare solemus; ilium 
magis amare; hunc laudamus; ilium legimus." 



33 

tion of this from its connexion, and present it to this 
audience, were such a separation practicable. In place 
of it, let me be allowed to conclude this passing tri- 
bute with a short sample of his powers in translation, 
which, while it is complete in itself, is also worthy of 
his fame. It is a published, but anonymous version of 
those beautiful lines in the Metamorphoses of Ovid, 
where Niobe, weeping for her slaughtered children, is 
described as gradually transformed into stone. In 
these English verses. Sands is faithful to his author, 
and yet transfuses into our language, to a remarkable 
degree, the rare beauty of the original. 

Altogether desolate left. 



Amid her sons, her daughters, and her spouse 
She sate, the life blood curdling in her heart, 
And her frame stiff 'ning : by the ambient breeze 
No lock was lifted : on her bloodless cheek 
The colour stood : her shining eyes were fix'd ; 
Her form a beauteous, lifeless image left. 
Cleaves to its frigid roof her tongue congeal'd ; 
The torpid veins with life no longer beat; 
Her neck inflexible ; no longer pliant 
Her polish'd arms ; fast rooted are her feet ; 
Within, the gradual change, with rigid art, 
Turns all to stone — and yet she seems to weep. 
Then the swift pinions of a whirlwind strong 
Bore her from sight to her paternal land ; 
There, planted on a mountain's topmost crag. 
Left hex-, in tears deploring. And, even now, 
Or fame is false — the conscious marble weeps. 

At the next Commencement, another youth left these 
peaceful shades, who, at the end of three short years, 
terminated his earthly career. I shall not apologize 
for here introducing: the name of the late Rev. James 
Wallis Eastburn. For I feel the firm conviction, 
that, while I am weaving a garland of fraternal aftec- 
5 



34 

tion to hang upon a brother's tomb, I am performing 
an office, in which many whom I now see would gladly 
join me ; — many, in whose memory still dwells the re- 
collection of his refinement, his various attainments, his 
simplicity unfeigned; many, also, who, though they never 
knew him, have seen some of the effusions of his ma- 
ture and richly furnished mind. Congeniality of tastes 
led him to the formation, during his college days, of an 
intimacy with Sands, which lasted until death. It was 
during the period of this literary friendship, that, as the 
public already know, he formed, and, in company with 
Sands, executed, the design of embodying in a poetical 
narrative the fortunes of Philip, the Rhode-Island Indian 
King. Pursuing his preparation for holy orders in the 
immediate vicinity of Mount Hope, the residence of 
this fated chieftain, he found in these scenes a strong 
excitement for his imagination ; and was enabled to 
give the most perfect accuracy to the local descriptions 
of the poem. This work, completed and arranged by 
Sands, after the death of his friend, is now before the 
world; and, with all the defects to be expected from 
the early age of both its composers, has acquired for 
itself the character of an uncommon production. 

The remains which Eastburn has left behind him 
are amazingly voluminous. I will venture to say that 
there are few, who, on arriving at the age of twenty- 
two, which was the limit of his mortal career, will be 
found to have accomplished so much literary composi- 
tion. His prose writings, many of which appeared 
anonymously in a series of periodical essays, conducted 
by himself and some of his friends, take in an exten- 
sive range of moral and classical disquisition ; and are 
models of the purest Addisonian English. The great 
charm, however, of all his writings, is the tone that 



35 



breathes through them. Whatever be the subject, the 
reader is never allowed to forget, that the pages before 
him are indited with a pen, dipped in the dew of hea- 
ven. An illustration of this peculiar feature of his 
productions, will form the most appropriate ending of 
this brief offering to his memory. On one glorious 
night of June, 1819, during his residence as a parochial 
clergyman upon the Eastern shore of Virginia, and a 
few months before his death, he sat up until the solemn 
hour of twelve to enjoy the scene. The moon was 
riding in her majesty ; her light fell upon the waters 
of the Chesapeake ; and all was hushed into stillness. 
Under the immediate inspiration of such a spectacle, 
he penned the following lines, which he has entitled 
" The Summer Midniorht." After havingr given them 
to you, my fellow-collegians, I will leave you to de- 
cide whether the character I have just drawn be a 
true portrait, or has been dictated only by the natural 
enthusiasm of a brother's love. 

The breeze of night has sunk to rest, 
Upon the river's tranquil breast ; 
And every bird has sought her nest, 

Where silent is her minstrelsy ; 
The queen of heaven is sailing high, 
A pale bark on the azure sky, 
Where not a breath is heard to sigh — 

So deep the soft tranquillity. 

Forgotten now the heat of day 
That on the burning waters lay, 
The noon of night her mantle gray 

Spreads, for the sun's high blazonry ; 
But glittering in that gentle night 
There gleams a line of silvery light, 
As tremiilous on the shores of white 

It hovers sweet and playfully. 



36 

At peace the distant shallop rides ; 
Not as when dashing o'ei" her sides 
The roaring bay's unruly tides 

Were beating round her gloriously ; 
But every sail is furl'd and still : 
Silent the seaman's whistle shrill, 
While dreamy slumbers seem to thrill 

With parted hours of extasy. 

Stars of the many-spangled heaven ! 
Faintly this night your beams are given, 
Tho' proudly where your hosts are driven 

Ye rear your dazzling galaxy ; 
Since far and wide a softer hue 
Is spread across the plains of blue. 
Where in bright chorus, ever true, 

For ever swells your harmony. 

O for some sadly dying note 
Upon this silent hour to float. 
Where from the bustling world remote 

The lyre might Avake its melody ; 
One feeble strain is all can swell 
From mine almost deserted shell. 
In mournful accents yet to tell 

That slumbers not its minstrelsy. 

There is an hour of deep repose 
That yet upon my heart shall close, 
When all that nature dreads and knows 

Shall burst upon me wondrously ; 
O may I then awake for ever 
My harp to rapture's high endeavor. 
And as from earth's vain scene I sever, 

Be lost in Immortality ! 

The time already consumed admonishes me to con- 
clude this rapid sketch of some of those, who have 
reflected honour upon our Alma Mater during the 
period just completed. I must not omit, however, to 



37 

add to this list the name of the Rev. Edmund D. 
Griffin. The commencement of my acquaintance 
with this accomphshed youth was in the year 1823, a 
few days after that on which, covered with honours, he 
left these halls of learning ; and in the summer of 1830, 
I received, while on a journey, the startling intelligence 
that he had expired. Endowed by nature with an 
elegant mind ; blest with the advantages of a thorough 
education ; and improved by foreign travel ; we were 
looking upon him as one destined to usefulness in the 
church at whose altars he ministered, and to a distin- 
guished rank among men of letters. But the hand of 
death was suddenly laid upon him ; and we are now 
only permitted to infer, from his published remains, 
what he would have accomplished, had he been al- 
lowed to prolong for a few years more his days on 
earth. This passing commemoration of one who, for 
a short period, occupied an official station in our Col- 
lege, may not unfitly terminate that series of honoured 
names, which has now passed in review. The exqui- 
site opening lines of one of his translations from a 
poet of Italy, are those in which we may appropriately 
bid him farewell. 

Oh spirit, beautiful and blest ! 

That, freed at last from every bond, 

Hast naked sprung to calmer realms above ! * 

It is surely a reasonable subject for gratification, that, on 
this festal morning, we have it in our power, as sons of our 
Alma Mater, to call up, among the various remembran- 
ces of the last fifty years, the memory of such men as 



* The Remains of this uncommon young scholar liave been given to the public 
in two volumes; and are accompanied by a most interesting Memoir from the pen 
of Professor McVickar. 



38 

these. But here, a question of no Uttle interest can- 
not fail to present itself to our minds. If Columbia 
College has been the honored instrument of training 
such graduates, what does she not deserve at our 
hands 1 Filled with the present inspiring recollections, 
let every member of this Institution inquire what is 
his duty ; and labor, with true loyalty and devotion, 
in its conscientious fulfilment. 

Our College this day calls upon us, by all the bene- 
fits which she has rendered, and by the illustrious 
names treasured up in the archives of her history, to 
do every thing that we can to promote her welfare 
and her glory. For will it be denied, that this Semi- 
nary of learning rightfully claims some portion of the 
honor, which crowns the memory of these her foster- 
children 1 Can this right be withheld from her ? She 
takes to herself, it is true, no glory for their original 
powers. These were the gift of heaven before they 
entered within her enclosure. But who gave these 
powers their direction t Who trained them with the 
hand of firm but parental discipline ; so that in subse- 
quent days, the energies of the mind, thus prepared, 
were made, like ' nimble and airy servitors,' to accom- 
plish, at the bidding of their possessor, results of use- 
fulness to man 1 Who ever thinks of the Paleys, the 
Horsleys, the Pitts, the Grenvilles, and the Cannings of 
England, without having his mind turned, in reveren- 
tial acknowledgment, to those great foundations, where 
these master spirits received, in the days of childhood 
and of youth, their intellectual culture ? It is by edu- 
cation that the character is formed. This work begins 
beneath the parental roof: it is carried on under the 
subsequent guardianship of schools : and at length, 
within these retreats of science and of letters, it re- 



39 

ceives the finishing touch. If, then, my fellow-alumni, 
Columbia College has given such men to the world, 
let us seek to sustain her character, in those various 
spheres of life in which our lot has been cast. We 
have, some of us, long since ceased to pursue our tran- 
quil way, under the shelter of her academic bowers. 
But let our hearts still cherish her remembrance, and 
aim after her good. Let us uphold her, through evil 
and through good report. Let us proclaim her, in this 
great communit}^, to be what she is : — and, if men 
shall ask us what she can do, let us point them to 
what she has done I 

But this continued interest in the prosperity of our 
venerated mother is not the only form, in which the 
student who has been nurtured within her walls should 
manifest his gratitude for the blessings she has be- 
Stowed. She calls upon her younger sons to pursue, 
through life, those liberalizing studies, the taste for 
which, during the hours of their collegiate career, it 
was her great object to create, or to foster. It will, I 
trust, not be considered as any attempt to disparage 
those other branches of useful learning, which form 
part of the course of instruction here pursued, if I 
urge upon the young men who have emerged from 
this honoured seat of letters, and are now enoaged in 
the active pursuits of the world, the importance of a 
diligent attention to classical attainments. In giving 
prominence to this department of study, my apology 
must be, that of that which a man chiefly loves, he 
will be most apt to speak. 

One of the most evil signs of our times, for some 
years past, in a literary point of view, has been a dis- 
position to undervalue that acquaintance with the lan- 
guage and the literature of ancient Greece and Rome, 



40 

which must always form the basis of a Hberal educa- 
tion ; and the continued cultivation of which, after the 
days of academic life are past, is the only right path 
to the attainment of professional excellence. The 
eloquence of the senate needs the indescribable, but 
happy influence of these studies. It would be impos- 
sible to find, in any deliberative assembly throughout 
the world, a more powerful concentration of intellect, 
than that which is presented within the walls of our 
Houses of Congress. Yet who will deny, that, in read- 
ing or hearing many of the speeches there delivered, 
we feel the want of that classical finish, which so pecu- 
liarly distinguishes the oratory of the British Parlia- 
ment ; and the possession of which has rendered the 
efforts of Pitt, Fox, Burke, Brougham, Wilberforce, 
Canning, and Peel, as harmonious and graceful in lan- 
guage, as they are profound in argument 1 The elo- 
quence of the bar, too, must be formed by this prepa- 
ratory discipline ; and we can require no higher proof 
of its advantage, than that which was exhibited in 
every public display of the late distinguished Thomas 
Addis Emmet, The pulpit, also, needs the same ma- 
gical aid to effective speaking. The thorough scho- 
lar is there known, not by labored classical illustra- 
tion, improperly supplanting that which the sacred 
volume supplies ; but by the precision and directness 
of his phraseology. In the severe and simple school of 
the ancient masters, he has learned to form his taste; 
to express himself with conciseness ; to prune away 
redundancies; and, entering at once upon his subject, 
to carry it on with point and vigor to its final close. 

Let no man, then, whose vocation it is to promote 
the good of his fellow-beings, in either of these learned 
and dignified callings, be tempted to forego so efficient 



41 

an instrument of usefulness, as the study of the ancient 
models. Passing strange it is, that by so many among 
our statesmen, our lawyers, and our clergy, these pro- 
ductions are laid upon the shelf; while, by way of 
indemnifying themselves for the loss, they contentedly 
resort to the diluted streams of translation, instead of 
ascending to the living waters that gush from the pure, 
oriojinal fountain. Our Alma Mater asks a different 
return from her children. She commands us, while 
she this day points to the catalogue of her illustrious 
dead, to show our sense of the benefits she has ren- 
dered, by our assiduous cultivation of those refining 
and elevatincj studies, which it has so long been her 
glory to inculcate. Let us obey her call. The classics 
are the public man's ornament. Nay, more : they 
carry a refreshment with them into every department 
of daily pursuit. The associations which they bring in 
their train, embellish and alleviate the toils of exist- 
ence : — curcB casusqiie levamen — throwing a charm and 
a gilding over the drudgery of this weary world — lend- 
ing a dignity to misfortune — and expanding the mind 
with an influence, which he that has cultivated these 
resources knows to be real ; and which he who has 
them not, can never feel. 

Inhabitants of this city ! To you we would this 
day commend our valued and bountiful Mother, as 
worthy of your affection. To you let me speak of her, 
on the ground of her actual character, and great ad- 
vantag^es. For I utter not the lanouaoe of partial 
praise, neither shall I crave pardon for what may seem 
to be invidious comparison, in saying, that Columbia 
College boldly challenges competition with her, in any 
one of those departments of knowledge, on which, as a 
solid foundation, is erected the superstructure of future 
6 



42 

usefulness and influence. And the reason of this su- 
periority is obvious. Here, the pupil is brought under 
the immediate instructions, not of imperfectly qualified 
tutors, needing themselves to be instructed, and using, 
peradventure, the office of a teacher but as a stepping- 
stone to some ulterior object, — but of the professors 
themselves; whose matured minds, and rich experience, 
are thus enjoyed by every student within these walls. 
Here, too, — and let not this privilege be forgotten, — 
while the young of our metropolis receive intellectual 
culture, they are enjoying, at the same time, the inesti- 
mable oversight, and various blessings, of the domestic 
mansion. Thus mental and moral training may here 
go hand in hand : and the youthful aspirant after lite- 
rary acquirements will not be left to the dominion of 
those wayward propensities, which, when he is an 
exile from the sacred precincts of home, lose their most 
effectual safeguard, in being no longer bound by the 
silken cords of parental authority and love. 

Instructress of our earlier years ! On this day of 
heart-stirring and glorious recollections, we lay at thy 
feet the free-will offering^ of our hearts, and bid thee 
hail in thy future career of beneficent exertion. May 
thy coming days add new trophies to those which thou 
hast already reared, to testify that thou hast well re- 
deemed thy trust ! And, above all, may those youth, 
who, in after periods, shall issue forth, band after band, 
from thy hallowed retreat, never forget, that for privi- 
leges received, there is responsibility incurred; and 
that they will best repay thy blessings by bearing en- 
graved upon their memories the lesson, that learning is 
but an instrument conferred by heaven, for promoting 
the interests of our universal species, and the glory of 
our Maker, Redeemer, and God. 



POEM. 



BY WILLIAM BETTS, A. M 



POEM. 



Intent to terminate their baleful feud, 

On Moreh's plain the ancient patriarchs stood^ 

Their mighty wealth increas'd beyond control. 

One country seem'd too little for the whole ; 

For all the bounties Heaven designs to bless, 

Man's vile perverseness turns to wretchedness. 

Their countless flocks secure around them play, 

Their anxious herdsmen nigh them sullen stray, 

Those slaves, whose strifes their masters now expel 

From each familiar tent and cooling well ; 

And whilst their minds were hung in equipoise 

'Twixt future ills and dearly cherish'd joys, 

A bitter pang pierc'd through each patriarch's heart, 

Reluctant still, tho' still resolv'd to part. 

Far in the west, Judaea's mountains throw 
Their gloomy shadows o'er the plains below ; 
Repulsive, barren, rude, confus'd they lay, 
And frown'd each bold adventurer away. 
Not so the East ; for there Gomorrah's towers 
Rose mid green vales and perfume breathing bowers, 
And Sodom, in the fumes of richness steep'd, 
In lazy luxury delighted slept. 



46 

The fragrance rising from each blossom'd field. 
The mighty crops those fertile pastures yield, 
The groves, where figs, and dates and olives vie 
With loaded boughs in wanton rivalry, 
The palms, whose swelling trunks aspiring high 
Spread their dark branches 'gainst the azure sky. 
Vines after countless vines, whose bending stems. 
Scarce bear their luscious clusters, bright as gems, 
Gomorrah's grapes, the fairest Earth hath borne, 
By guilt since turned to bitterness and scorn, 
In tranquil slumber all serenely lay. 
Beneath the Syrian sunshine's setting ray. 
So sunk the scene appear'd in still repose, 
So full of joy, so free from mortal woes, 
E'en Jordan's stream, as on it slowly roll'd 
Through the fair valley, like a thread of gold, 
Dispensing treasure, almost seem'd excess, 
Mid this profuse, surpassing loveliness. 

* Be thine the choice,' the holy Abraham cried ; 
' What'er that choice, contented I abide ; 

* For me, the wilderness no terrors bears, 

' For me no charms the fruitful valley wears ; 

* No danger e'er can Abraham's steps attend, 

' For Abraham's God is ever Abraham's friend.' 
Pleas'd with the prospect of profuse excess, 
To Lot such reas'ning seem'd as foolishness. 
He saw not, he, the wisdom that decides 
To turn from good that bounteous Heav'n provides ; 
And madness absolute it seem'd, to be 
Indifferent 'twixt wealth and poverty. 

* Those barren hills but scanty food provide, 

* For me, my household and my flock beside, 



47 

' While in yon vale, with teeming plenty bless'd, 
*E'en were my wealth a thousand times increas'd, 
' Their utmost wants were easily supplied, 
* To thrice their number were they multiplied.' 

So reason'd Lot, and turn'd his eager eyes 
To the gay fields that bright before him rise. 
Nor thought that barren mountain-sides reveal 
The venom'd serpent blossom'd meads conceal ; 
That when base man by Heav'n to toil was doom'd, 
E'en on that thorn a flow'ret straightway bloom'd, 
And the same fountains, that our wants supply, 
Full floods of pleasure e'er accompany. 
So reason'd Lot, nor thought in those soft skies, 
What baneful, death-dispensing mists might rise, 
What loathsome ills that teeming soil might nurse, 
And seeming blessings prove severest curse. 
So reasons Man ; though Nature's book divine 
Be open'd wide, and each resplendent line 
Lit by the torch of wisdom ; tho' the hand 
Of sage Experience, prompt at our demand, 
Is e'er prepared to turn from page to page, 
And teach the past, the future to presage ; 
Yet, stupid man, to slothfulness inclin'd, 
Gropes idly on, contented to be blind, 
And better loves the sluggish, slumb'ring night, 
Than the rude labour of the risinof liaht. 
So reasons Man ; nor thinks his mortal foe 
Deliohts his loathsome legions thick to strew 
In earth's choice places ; well his toils he lays. 
Wealth tempts to sloth, and sloth to death betrays. 

When guilty man, by toil and sorrow scourg'd 
From Eden's bowers, his way reluctant urg'd. 



48 

Then did relenting Heaven on Toil bestow 
The power to heighten joy, and soften wo. 

See from created earth's remotest years, 
What blessed fruit the tree of labour bears, 
And in the powers of body, sense, or mind, 
That Toil and Excellence are ever joined. 
Of the broad world, survey the varied dress 
Of wanton wealth, or utter barrenness. 
With Toil, the fairest scene cannot dispense, 
To Toil the vilest yields its recompense. 
Behold the works of human skill, where art 
Assaults the senses, to subdue the heart ; 
Tho' Genius first the crude design conceives. 
Toil, patient Toil alone, the work achieves ; 
And last, the vast variety of man, 
From almost brute to almost angel, scan ; 
And the plain difference we soon detect. 
In mind's improvement,or in mind's neglect. 

In those remote and dim mysterious lands. 
Where Ham's dark empire still ascendant stands, 
Look where majestic Quorra rolls his tides, 
As south by Garnicassa slow he glides, 
What time from her high seat the Queen of night 
Pours on his breast a flood of tropic light — 
That light which none but tropic climes have seen, 
So lustrous, clear, and placidly serene. 
From Garnicassa's mud-built hovels come 
The sounds of music, and the vocal hum 
Of merry voices ; joyful groupes advance, 
And twine on Quorra's shore the midnight dance ; 
See ! how the dark-limb'd maidens upward spring. 
And in fantastic forms their bodies fling ; 



49 

Hark ! what loud peals of laughter break the night, 
As each sinks down exhausted with delisfht : 
Of ancient sires and aged matrons stand 
A happy multitude on Quorra's strand, 
And ever hail with sympathetic voice, 
Their children in their triumphings and joys. 
Sad group ! such scenes of seeming happiness 
Wake the vile theme, that ignorance is bliss. 
Here Folly lingers, with malignant breath. 
From sports of innocence extracting death ; 
For oft in flow'rs her venom has she found, 
And poison'd wisdom, where she fear'd to wound- 
Short dream of pleasure ! as the tender shoot 
That in thin soil extends its narrow root, 
Refresh'd by morning dews, doth quickly rise. 
But droops in summer's midday sun, and dies ; 
E'en thus, the joy that mind no nurture gives. 
Scarce the same hour that sees its birth, survives. 
Look but within them, and their minds survey. 
How quick the scene of pleasure fades away ; 
Like a deep cavern, desolate and dark. 
There, never shines an intellectual spark, 
And there, in gloom congenial, listless lie, 
Of sloth and ignorance the progeny : 
Or as some old and long neglected field. 
Whose cultur'd soil prolific crops might yield, 
Untouch'd by plough, with wholesome seed unstrown, 
With noxious weeds and nettles is o'ergrown ; 
E'en so their minds, unus'd to exercise, 
Teem with the fruit of rank, spontaneous vice. 
Grateful for good, to treason soon they haste, 
Greedy of gain, but ever prone to waste ; 
7 



50 

Their cruel anger danger soon dismays, 
And the fierce heart the palsied hand betrays ; 
With the short present their dull thoughts employ'd, 
The past and future are an equal void ; 
The joys of sense, as idols they adore, 
And, save their Fetish, own no higher Pow'r. 
But not to sable Africa confin'd 
Is this sad picture of a sluggish mind : 
No ! tho' with us, hypocrisy, and pride, 
And wealth, and polish'd luxury may hide, 
With shrubs, and trees, and flow'rs around its brink, 
The pool of idleness ; approach to drink, 
See the green scum its sluggish face o'erspread, 
Feel the vile vapour, rising from its bed, 
And turn away : — as in neglected mind, 
Death and disgust alone you there may find ; 
In that dull pool no image e'er descends, 
Of the sweet Heav'n that bright above it bends. 
Now turn to other climes, where wealthy Ind, 
Upon her rich and gorgeous throne reclin'd, 
Sits in the majesty of ancient birth. 
The awful mother of the later earth. 
A hundred provinces her will obey, 
And at her feet, their countless treasures lay, 
A hundred princes own their subject powers. 
From high Thibet, to Ceylon's heavenly bowers ; 
From unrecorded ages, vast her store 
Of learning, science and religious lore ; 
Full-grown like Pallas, sprung from parent-earth, 
Her arts appear coeval with her birth. 
Look where Ellora's wondrous caves display 
The labours of a people pass'd away, 



51 

Whose ancient story shuns tradition's hght, 

And mocks conjecture in its boldest flight : 

Or see where Ganges, with his flow'ry tides, 

By Brahmin lov'd, majestically glides. 

And ever pours his full and sacred waves, 

Nor heeds the hundred cities that he laves. 

By mosque and palace proudly passes by, 

And mausoleum's gorgeous vanity ; 

But lingers ever mid the fragrant groves. 

Where Hindoo maidens breathe their secret loves, 

Their timid wishes to their Ganges sino- 

And the lov'd lotus on his bosom fling. 

Amid these seats of might and loveliness, 
Of learning's treasures, and of art's excess. 
Divine Philosophy content might roam, 
And gather wisdom in her native home. 
Here might we seek the cultivated mind. 
Here manners kind, benevolent, reflned, 
Mercy and Justice, Firmness undismay'd, 
And Bounty large, in lib'ral deeds display 'd ; 
And Charity, the dearest child of Heav'n, 
Which sees no ill, but soon as seen, forgiv'n ; 
And fond Affection, in whose melting ray, 
The ice of Selfishness dissolves away; 
Honour, with whom to doubt is to desist. 
And Truth, whom none successfully resist. 

Ah no ! like gems before the senseless beast, 
Dull Sloth has spurn'd the treasures of the East, 
And stupidly content, unhappy lies, 
Amid the fetid heaps that round her rise. 
See from her filth, a throng of demons spring, 
With loathsome face, and foul extended wing, 



52 

Envoys select, from Brahma's Pantheon borne, 

Their vile credentials in their features worn. 

Base Treachery, affecting joy to feel. 

While myrtle blossoms hide his murd'rous steel ; 

And Cunning, from whose small and glancing eye, 

Truth sick'ning turns, nor turns without a sigh ; 

Voluptuous Pleasure, by herself betray 'd, 

And gloomy Pride in tinsell'd robes array'd ; 

Cold Selfishness, that turns the heart to ice, 

And greedy Waste, engend'ring avarice ; 

Unholy Falsehood, fearing human-kind, 

And Cruelty with Cowardice combin'd. 

These are thy idols, hapless Ind ! to these, 

The fruitful brood of indolence and ease. 

The haughty Brahmin yields uncheck'd control. 

And the poor Pariah bends his abject soul. 

Ah ! who in this foul tribe could e'er descry 

Eternal Vishnu's rightful progeny? 

That mighty Spirit, He ! whose quick'ning breath, 

When chaos slept in elemental death, 

Mov'd o'er the liquid waste abyss of night. 

And wak'd the deep to beauty, life and light I 

If such the sad reverse where once the blaze 
Of arts and learning shed refulgent rays. 
Behold the western star of Empire shine. 
On Japhet's mighty and increasing line. 

See little Athens, midst her barren soil. 
By slow degrees, with patient, ceaseless toil. 
Still upward rising, more and more renown'd, 
Her sunny hills with matchless temples crown'd, 
Her sculptur'd forms, at whose resplendent blaze 
Of wondrous beauty, still content to gaze, 



53 

Succeeding ages never dared aspire, 
To their high regions of celestial fire ; 
Her sages, from whose swelling treasures flow 
Full streams of wisdom on the world below ; 
Her orators, whose sweet persuasive tongue 
Now sooth'd to softness, and to rage now stung ; 
Her poets, minstrels, painters, the bright band 
Of that illustrious brotherhood, who stand 
Midway 'twixt grov'ling earth and swelling sky, 
And point to man a higher destiny : 
These are the springs, immortal Athens ! whence 
Thy empire rose to lustrous eminence ; 
Thy intellectual sway their power secures, 
And in their fame thy glory still endures. 
Thee captive Rome obey'd ; but for thy arts. 
Like dew descending on their savage hearts. 
But for thy laws, whose firm but gentle sway, 
From brutal passions turn'd them slow away. 
The Roman Rabble, Tyrants of the world, 
Perhaps with wild ferocity had hurl'd 
Dismay and terror on the frighted earth. 
And chas'd away all virtue, valour, worth. 
Imperial Rome ! when thy first fratricide 
With royal blood thy humble walls had dyed, 
How little could thy feeble tribes descry 
The splendour of thy future majesty. 
When suppliant kings thy guardian pow'r ador'd, 
And prostrate nations own'd thee for their Lord. 
Imperial Rome ! though on thy infant state 
Surrounding neighbours pour'd their jealous hate, 
And by a mortal and malignant blow, 
Aim'd at thy quick and utter overthrow ; 



54 

Tho' midst the wasted homes that round thee burn'd, 

Th' insulting Gaul thy anguish rudely spurn'd ; 

Tho' victor Carthage, thund'ring at thy gate, 

Thy being threaten'd to annihilate, 

Thy patient struggles and unceasing pain, 

A higher ground, and higher still would gain, 

Till rais'd aloft, thy State ferocious frown'd 

In haughty grandeur on the realms around ; 

When gentler Greece thy savage sons refin'd. 

And gave thee. Empire o'er the human mind. 

Thus the clear lines on every varied page 
Of earth's large volume, in each rolling age, 
In every clime, the self-same lesson show, — 
Toil leads to joy, and indolence to wo. 
Tho' ever thus corporeal labour leads 
Through thorny paths to fair and flow'ry meads, 
Th' aspiring Mind, successful toil requites 
With larger prospects and intense delights. 

Ah ! who without untiring search can find 
The boundless treasures of the mighty mind ? 
Who can disclose the sure unfailing thread, 
Through its dim labyrinths secure to tread ? 
Who find the key to ope the secret doors 
Of the rich chambers of its hoarded stores ? 
Who give the rod, whose bending point reveals 
Each place obscure, its hidden gold conceals ? 

In those old walls, with Learning's labours stor'd, 
O'er which a thousand moons their light have pour'd. 
Since first, by pious zeal and bounty rear'd. 
Their modest structure midst the fields appear'd, 
And on whose pulse renew'd this morning's sun. 
His course for twice five lustres full has run, — 



55 

Within those walls, and ever nigh at hand, 
The guiding thread, the key, the mystic wand. 

The power of learning and of labour joined, 
Of energy and intellect combin'd, 
The ancient archives of those halls disclose, 
Since first their old colonial spire arose 
Where England's royal crown conspicuous gleam'd. 
And o'er the roofs the red-cross banner stream'd. 
Deriv'd from hence, the elements we see 
Of Jay's sound sense and stern integrity ; 
In this deep soil, enrich'd by labour's dew, 
The keen sagacity of Morris grew ; 
Here flow'd the streams, whose full and gushing tide 
The mind of youthful Hamilton supplied ; 
His judgment clear and ready to decide, 
His energy, which every power applied 
Of mind and body ; and e'en here betray 'd 
The greatness that his later life display'd : 
Its lesson here the persevering mind 
Of Clinton found, to toil for human-kind, 
And here the pure and heavenly heart of Moore,, 
With holy hope was heavenward taught to soar. 

Benignant Mother ! These, a chosen few. 
Who from thy breast the milk of knowledge drew,, 
Drawn from the throng of that extended band. 
Illustrious brotherhood ! who through our land. 
Sent forth those toilsome habits to pursue, 
Their early days with thee familiar knew, 
With cultur'd minds and painful diligence, 
The noblest gifts could easily dispense. 

Benignant Mother ! when with gladness rife, 
The spring-time of our young and tender life, 



56 

With nature's sunny spring-time sympathized, 
And all its flow'ry pleasures dearly priz'd, 
How dull did then thy sober laws appear, 
Thy firm and wholesome discipline, severe. 
Thy long laborious studies, a device 
Of age, to cloud young nature's Paradise, 
Nor was there ought of fair and pleasing seen, 
In Toil's rude features and repulsive mien. 
Mid careless joys, how little then they thought 
Of the grave truth experience since has taught, 
That Sloth, as standing pools infect the air, 
Corrupts sweet nature's purest atmosphere ; 
While frigid dulness, warm'd by Labour, lives, 
As spring's soft touch the torpid earth revives. 

Auspicious toil ! thy universal reign 
Spreads through creation's infinite domain, 
From the poor ant, whose summer cares procure 
A scanty pittance for his winter store, 
To the bright Seraphim, who, high above. 
Engirt in beams of living light and love. 
With glad continual service e'er fulfill 
The sovereign dictates of the Almighty will ; 
And all, through wide creation's bounds, confess 
Thy power to soothe, to solace and to bless. 



ODES 



AD ALMAM MATREM. 



Terram coronis dulce virentibus 
Post lustra Taurus jam decorat decern, 
Lenesque spirantes amorem et 
Laetitiam Zephyri tulere, 
A vere dulci quo Dea Candida, 
Virtus Honori quam tulit impigra, 
Superba Libertas, redempta 
Imperio patria tyranni, 
Artes jubebat surgere liberas 
Aram que Nymph is Pieriis novam 
Ponebat. O Mater refulsit 
iEdibus ore tuis benigno. 
Aulae madebant puniceo tuae 
Tinctce cruore, et nunc vacua Dolor 
Stabat cathedra : Spes manebat 
Sola tibi impavidumque pectus. 
Spiravit in te Diva animam novae 
Vitae et vocavit nomine patrio 
Nostra urbe Regina laboris 
Hesperii decori futuram. 
Umbrasque Romae et jussit Achaia? 
Sedere moestas porticibus tuis 
Exempla virtutis daturas 
Perpetui et studii juventfB. 



60 



Turn laeta carum grataque filium 
Deaa patronae jam tibi creditum 

Tu nutriisti qui venustas 

Reddidit Oceano gementi 
Natas secutoe quag fuerant aquis 
Solem cadentem in Pacificum mare. 

Per asva laudi vel adempti, 

Mater, erit tibi nomen ejus. 
Pluresque clari consilio et Foro 
Jactant alumnos se memores tuos 

Calente qui gaudent senecta 

Lauribus ante tibi tributis. 
Vocamus Almam et rite Columbiam 
Te nos docentem Isetitise vias, 

Cauteque fundamen salutis 

Jam patriae bene munientem. 
Multos per annos sit tibi gloria 
A filiis quos toUis honoribus, 

iEtate maturaque reddant 

Munera queis decoras juventam. 

GULIELMUS C. RUSSEL, A. M. 



ODE 



FOR THE FIRST SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE INCORPORATION 
OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 



I. 

The time-worn piles of other climes 
Where prisoned Science holds her seat, 

Reared in the dark barbaric times 
By tyrant King or bigot Priest ; 

II. 

Where, as the Sun through painted lights 
A false and duller radiance throws, 

So Learning, dimmed, disguised, invites 
By ways directed by her foes. 

III. 
Not such Columbia ! are thy halls, 

By freemen raised beyond the seas. 
Where Knowledge, liberated, calls 

With bolder voice her votaries : 

IV. 

And those, thy sons, in Freedom's cause 
Dismissed to paths where Glory led — 

And knowledge hence new vigor draws 
From sacred blood for Freedom shed. 



62 



So, parted often, here unite, 

Science and Freedom, natural friends ; 
Freedom shall rise more firm, more bright — 

Blest in the light that Science lends : 

VI. 

Science, with drooping wings, no more 
Shall fail beneath a Despot's eye, 

But mounting, farther, wider soar 
With the twin eagle Liberty. 

vir. 
Oh may the fire, borne from afar, 

Here nursed, flame with a steady blaze, 
Whose far-seen light, as of a star. 

Shall send to ev'ry land its rays. 

VIII. 

Then pilgrims to whose longing sight. 
The splendors of our isle shall rise. 

Shall fix their gaze where sparkling bright 
Columbia's turrets pierce the skies. 

William Duer, A. B. 



N. B. The Greek Ode of Professor Anthon was put Into the 
hands of a musical composer, with a view to its performance with 
the others, at the Celebration ; but from the disappointment occa- 
sioned by that person, this part of the arrangement was defeated ; 
and from his not returning the manuscript of the Greek Ode, pro- 
bably from having lost or mislaid it, and the Professor's retaining 
no copy, its publication is necessarily omitted. 



